You want the good news or the bad news first? Well, in light of all the economic doom and gloom pervading the web, let’s start with the good: The Jaguar XF Supercharged is a bloody fantastic sports sedan. Probably the best in its class of classy yet fast—but not hardcore—players.

It takes all the things I love about the midsize XF—standout sheetmetal, a 21st century interior of surpassing elegance and quality, the world’s best automatic, and sublime steering—and ads the kind of oomph and chassis composure that Jaguar’s latest (and arguably most important) model needs to succeed.

While there’s nothing wrong with the base 4.3-liter V8’s output, the supercharged version’s extra power gives it the wallop it needs to feel exclusive in a world brimming with 270hp mainstream sedans. And it returns the same fuel economy; I averaged 19-21mpg over a week where I exploited all 420 horses on a regular basis.

Perhaps the only dynamic flaw I found in the normally aspirated model was a bit too much pitter-patter from the suspension over rough pavement. It was as if Jaguar, jealous of BMW’s success, had tried to make its latest feel more like one of the Bavarian’s offerings. Somehow, the Supercharged model’s underpinnings, despite being undeniably stiffer, felt more comfortable—and more suitable. Amazingly, the S/C also rode on larger wheels, sheathed in less absorbent, lower profile rubber, than its less athletic brother. Strange but true. And the real benefit was a level of interactive, sporting joy that the basic car never elicited.

This was made even more prominent when the Dynamic Mode was selected via a little checkered flag-festooned button just abaft the groovy Jaguar ‘Drive Select’ shifter (that’s strait out of ‘The Wrath of Kahn’ as Trekkers will know). Not only does it loosen the reins on the stability control and stiffen the interactive ‘CATS’ dampers, but it also frees up the throttle response and sharpen the shifting algorithms, helping transform this rather large sedan into something that really hustles. And when the red mist receded, another prod of this simple switch restored the compliancy and comfort that are the marque’s hallmarks. Finally, the baddest XF looked much better squatting over such prominent footwear, helping remove some of the frustrations that cropped up when the lovely Concept XF show car morphed into the more sedate and pedestrian production version. The S/C is also something of a value; loaded up with B&W sound, nav, climate controlled seats, etc, it is priced along the lines of a six-cylinder BMW 5-series.

But I promised you bad news, and here it is: the XF S/C is no longer made. It is to be replaced in the lineup by two cars, both powered by more efficient, direct-injected 5-liter V8s. The news is good and bad here as well. This time, we’ll get the negative out of the way first: the cooking version looses about 35 ponies to this S/C, meaning that (probably) a few more BMWs will be getting the nod. The future looks much brighter, though, when we find out that the new top dog XF-R will run a supercharged version, good for a heart-pounding 510hp. Personally, I can’t wait to see if this fulfills the prodigious promise inherent in Jaguar’s terrific executive sedan.

PRICE AS TESTED: $66,675

COLORADO POST SCRIPT: This Supercharged model is down in horsepower much less than a normally aspirated car at our increased elavation. This will hold true in comparison to the new 5.0-liter as well. The rough difference will be about 60-70 horses—in favor of the S/C. So, if you’ve been contemplating the XF, act while there’s still a few new Supercharged models about.

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